Relenza Hailed As Miracle Drug

a last ditch effort to prevent her dying

The influenza medication Relenza has been hailed as being responsible for a “miracle cure” of a four-year-old girl suffering from a severe case of swine flu and who was expected to die. Jessie Flewker was prescribed the lesser known influenza medication Relenza in what doctors described as a last ditch effort to prevent her dying.

The influenza drug Relenza which is usually only given to adults was given to Jessie after she developed swelling on the brain which had put her into a coma. Doctors from the Evelina Children's Hospital which is part of St Thomas' Hospital in London made the emergency decision to give her Relenza along with immune boosting drugs after tests revealed that she had an inflammation of the brain known as acute necrotizing encephalitis. This has not been observed in any other swine flu patients. The other thing which was unusual about Jessie’s case is that she did not have a very high temperature which usually accompanies the swine flu virus.

This means that Jessie is now the youngest person in the UK ever to be treated with Relenza and because the results were so dramatic and effective, (she woke up from her coma just twelve hours after been given the Relenza) it may be that in the future other young children will also be prescribed the drug. In the majority of cases of swine flu in children Tamiflu tends to be prescribed.

In Jessie’s case, Dr Marilyn McDougall explained the Relenza was given to her intravenously as it could not be given in the usual way because of her coma. There is an air of celebration around Evelina Children's Hospital as they had almost given up hope with Jessie and her family are all extremely relieved. A word of warning is however that influenza medication should only be given to children under medical supervision.